Alopecia Areata Symptoms

Alopecia areata symptoms

• One or more plates completely denuded of hair. Occasionally, itching or burning sensation may be felt in the affected area, but the skin retains a normal appearance.
• Sometimes, nail abnormalities such as striations, cracks, spots and redness. The nails may become brittle.
• Exceptionally, a loss of all hair and.

        The Alopecia areata starts abruptly at any age but most often in children or young adults, it evolves by episodes that can be repeated throughout life. The Alopecia areata is a hair loss, depilation of body hair. Alopecia areata in the small plates is the most common form. Alopecia areata plates have variable sizes and shapes. The diffuse Alopecia areata is rare, it results in an extensive hair loss that affects the entire scalp. The alopecia areata universalis is a total depilation of all body hair. Loss of eyelashes, eyebrows or nails abnormalities may be isolated but more often accompanies severe alopecia areata.

        The seriousness of the alopecia areata is evaluated according to the capillary surface affected.

Stages of severity of alopecia areata

• No alopecia
• alopecia surface of less than 25% of the scalp
• alopecia surface between 25% and 49% of scalp
• alopecia surface between 75% and 99% of scalp
• Alopecia complete

Some Alopecia areata pictures

        The alopecia areata plates have a rounded shape, centrifugal, size varying between 2 and 8 cm in diameter at the end of evolution. In more than 50% of cases, hair will grow back all alone, between six months and one year after the first loss af hair. Unfortunately regrowth is random and it is essential to stimulate by appropriate treatment. Recurrences are frequent and unpredictable: in 50% of cases, they may reappear 5 or 10 years after the disappearance of the first area.

        Much more rarely (5% of cases), Alopecia areata process may extend over the entire scalp; is called Total Alopecia Areata. Even more rarely (0.20% of cases), Alopecia areata is spreading throughout the hair and all body hair falls. This is known as alopecia areata universalis. Whether partial or total, the Alopecia areata affects both men and women, it affects particularly the brown hair and younger subjects (about 60% of cases occur before age 20). The average age is around 30 years.